The simple white envelope
by XJStephanie
Summary: A short happy AU of the Kenways at Christmas. Connor comes home for Christmas with his wife, and Connor wants to patch his relationship with his father.


*The Simple White Envelope*

Connor knocked the snow from his boots as he stepped on to his parent's front porch, he tucked an envelope into his back pocket, taking a deep breath he looked over at Emily and he knocked on the door. The red door with an over sized wreath on it swung open wide to revile his mother in her favorite Christmas sweater she wore every year. A big grin spread over her face once she realized who it was.

"Ratonhnhaké:ton!" she almost shouted as she ran to hug him knocking the presents he was holding to the ground. "I've missed you so much, I can't believe you actually came!" she said through her tears of joy.

Connor hugged his mother back, it felt good to see his mother so happy, if he knew that it would've brought her this much joy he would have visited sooner. Though there still was the matter of his father. They got along just fine as long as the topic of work didn't pop up, which always seem to happen. When he was growing up his father would always tell him that he would take over his fathers business someday and that he would carry on the Kenway name and become the CEO of Kenway Pharmaceuticals. Connor after years of being trained by his father found he had no interest in pharmaceuticals. When Connor was eighteen he told his father in one of their many fights about his carrier that he didn't want to take over the business, that he had no interest in it at all, and that he wanted to go to the police academy, his father told him that he was stupid carrier choice, that he had been trained for this job for years, that he would carry on the family business, but when Connor told him he wouldn't, Haytham told him to pack his things and leave. And since then Connor has only seen his father when his mother would stop by on very rare occasions, when they happen to be in the same state.

But it had been at least five years since he had seen his mother, there had been a phone call or an email every once in a while, but his father's job kept them traveling all over the world. He didn't know how much he missed his mother until now. He felt almost like a child again here in his mothers arm but instead of only coming up to her shoulders, his mother was the short one now. She had to crane her neck back to see his face.

"I've missed you too Ista; it's been far too long." He said giving her one last squeeze before letting her go. "I'm sorry that it has taken me years to finally come and see you… And dad." He said as he saw his father standing behind his mother.

"That doesn't matter now, you're here and that's what matters, were together as a family." She said wiping the tears from her lined face leading him inside their home.

"Speaking of family, there is someone I'd like you to meet." Connor turned to the woman standing next to him. "Mom, dad, this is my wife, Emily" he said and he went and held her hand in his.

His mother put her hand up to her quivering lips. "This is Emily?" she asked in an almost whisper. "I remember Connor writing to me about you, but that must have been three years ago." His mom grabbed Emily in a big bear hug. "I'm so happy to finally meet you!"

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you as well; Connor has told me so much about you." Emily said in her soft voice, returning the hug.

Connor looked at his wife and his mother for a moment, the sight filled him with feeling of joy that he didn't know he was missing. The sight of them made his heart swell with pride. His mother lead Emily into the living room, leaving Connor and his father in the door way. They stood there looking at each other for a long moment, Connor picked up the present he dropped early and set them on the table in the entry way. Then Connor stuck out his hand to greet his father.

"Haytham" Connor said stiffly and shook his father's hand. "How have you been?

"I've been well, just busy with work, this year has been rough, with the recession and all, the economy wasn't like it used to be." Haytham said trying to make small talk. "Let's see where your mother has taken your wife." He said and turned to fallow Ziio and Emily.

Connor found his wife and mother in the hallway looking at pictures from his childhood hung on the walls. "This was from when he lost his first tooth." He heard his mom say as she pointed to a picture. "And here was when he climbed to high in a tree and was too scared to climb down." Ziio chuckled as she recalled that day. "I had to climb up and get him down; Haytham was to chicken to do it." Ziio turned to wink at her husband.

"Make sure you tell her that was the first and only time I ever got stuck in a tree." Connor said leaning his shoulder against the hallway all with his arms across his chest. "I was back in that tree the next day and went twice as high."

"That's true, you never did have a fear of heights, which always worried me, but it's in your blood I guess."

"Is this you Connor?" Emily said pointing to a picture of a young boy dressed in some kind of Indian outfit. "You were so cute!"

"Ha, if you call a fifteen year old boy wearing nothing more than underwear forced to participate in an old warriors dance at the school on the reservation cute than yeah sure its cute." Connor said with a smug look on his face

"Look at your tiny arms!" Emily teased. "You were so skinny."

"He always was a skinny kid. He was that way until his senior year in high school, then it was like he grew up over night." Ziio looked over at Connor. "You must and grown three inches that year." She looked back at Emily and said. "That was the year he decided he wanted to join the academy so he started to workout so he could he get 'buff' " using finger quotations.

"Mom" Connor said slightly embarrassed.

Emily covered her mouth to hide her laughter.

"Come lets head into the kitchen I have to put the rolls in the oven" Ziio said to Emily.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Emily asked as she followed her mother in law into the kitchen.

Connor smiled, he loved seeing his mother and his wife getting along so well, he knew that they would, they were so alike in many ways.

Connor walked down the hallway and looked into his old room. It had been turned into a sewing room for his mother. There were still of few of his old posters of his favorite bands hanging on the walls. As Connor walked back down the hall he saw his father in the office. Connor knocked on the door.

"Come on in Connor" he heard his father say.

Connor pushed the door open the rest of the way and entered.

Haytham was sitting at his desk and looked up from the papers her was reading to Connor standing in the doorway. "Well come on in and sit down boy" Haytham said motioning to the seat in front of the desk.

"Um, no thanks I feel that I need to stand for what I need to say dad."

Haytham looked up at Connor with a confused look on his face.

"Dad, I know things between us have been more than rough for the past five years or so. And I think its time we put this behind us." Connor took in a deep breath trying to gauge his father's facial expressions. "I know that I said things when I was young and looking back, I realized now that you were just trying to help me, you wanted to know that I would have a stable and secure future. You just wanted to pass on something important to your son, just like grandpa did with you. I didn't realize that then, but I do know. And even though I still stand by my decision not to take over the business, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for the way I acted. I uh... I just wanted to apologize to you. I want us all to be a family again." Connor wiped his sweaty hand on his jeans as he waited for his dads reply.

Haythem sat there and looked at his son for a long moment; slowly he got up from his seat and walked around his desk to stand in front of Connor. "Son, thank you." Haytham paused for a moment trying to gather the words to say. "It really means lot to me to hear you say that. And I also want to say I'm sorry for pushing you to do something you didn't want. I'm sorry for not listing to you." Haytham reached out his hand to Connor.

Connor felt relief when he took his fathers and shook it. He felt like this was a new beginning for him and his dad.

They all sat around a large wooden table in the dining room. Laughing and telling stories. Haytham even joined in to tell Emily stories from Connors childhood. Connor would roll his eyes and defend the actions of his eight year old self.

"He would pout and complain about doing an Easter egg hunt." Haytham told Emily.

"Every year it was the same thing, we had to drag him by his feet, literally."

"That's because you buried the eggs dad." Connor said with a slight bitter tone.

Emily, Ziio, and Haythem all laughed, Connor fought it at first but gave in and laughed with them.

As dinner came to an end they all gathered into the living room to open presents. After the gifts were all open and 'thank yous' and hugs were passed about, Connor stood up and handed his mom a small envelope.

"What's this?" she asked

Connor took Emily's hand and brought her over to stand by his side.

"Mom, dad I know we haven't been a close family in the past, and I know we have our differences" he said looking at his father. "But I would like to put all that behind us. I want us all to be a family again, a close family. And that brings us to that envelope in you hand mom, would you please open it?" he asked and pulled Emily close to his side, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing her head.

Ziio opened the simple white envelope with trembling hands. She slid a black and white photo from the envelope. She stared at the photo for a moment before his chin began to quiver. Tears welled up in her eyes and she put a hand to her chin to stop the quivering.

"your…your.." Ziio tried to say but couldn't get there words out.

Connor looked at Emily next to him and said with a large smile "Were having a baby"


End file.
